Mining Incidents
Search Operators Mines Alerts Research Controllers Fatalgrams About
English Español
← Back to search

Beetree Surface Mine: 51 MSHA citations Coal

Whitesville, Raleigh County, WV  ·  Abandoned
MSHA Mine ID: 4609176

Beetree Surface Mine has $26K in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 outstanding across 3 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.

Watch this mine

Email me when a new MSHA incident is filed at Beetree Surface Mine.

Fatalities
0
Total incidents
4
Years on record
2010–2011
Latest incident
Nov 2011
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2010
51
citations
20
significant & substantial
$26,073
proposed penalties
$24,876
paid to date
95% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $1,197 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
See Marfork Coal Company's full MSHA compliance history →
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2009
30
inspections on record
901
inspection hours
n/a
citations per 100 inspection hours
ⓘ This rate is recorded citations divided by MSHA inspection hours, per 100 hours. It reflects inspection effort, not mine size or production.
Rate withheld: 901 inspection hours is too few for a stable rate. A minimum of 1,000 inspection hours is required.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.

Beetree Surface Mine has $26K in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 outstanding across 3 contested dockets.

Penalty disposition
ⓘ Differences between proposed and paid penalties reflect both settlements and conference reductions and amounts still owed. Outstanding is the balance currently owed.
$26K
proposed penalties
$25K
current assessed
$25K
paid to date
$0
outstanding
50 assessments are final orders; 3 contested dockets.
Of $5K in penalties contested before the Commission, $4K was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2019-10-15.
Source: MSHA assessed-violations and conference/litigation data, updated weekly.
Violation severity profile
ⓘ Shares are computed over citations that carry the MSHA gravity and negligence coding; a small share of records are uncoded.
40.0%
significant & substantial
2.0%
high negligence or reckless
42.0%
reasonably likely or greater
34.0%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 14.0% low, 84.0% moderate, 2.0% high, 0.0% reckless.
Source: MSHA violations gravity and negligence coding, updated weekly.
When citations were contested
ⓘ Contesting a citation before the Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission is a lawful right. These figures state the public outcomes of that process, from MSHA's Contested Violations file.
6 citations taken to the federal commission · 12% of citations on record
  • Settled 4 · 67%
  • Stood as issued 2 · 33%
100%
S&S designation survived the contest
ⓘ Counts a Significant & Substantial citation as surviving when a settlement or judge's decision kept the designation, or the contest was dismissed or defaulted so the citation stands as issued. Vacated and withdrawn citations, and settlements that removed the designation, count against.
of 3 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
24%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$5K proposed, $4K after decisions · industry: 39%
Source: MSHA Contested Violations file (public record), updated weekly. A dismissed or defaulted contest leaves the citation standing as issued; a vacated or withdrawn citation is removed from the violation record. Latest contest filed 2012-05-07.
Contested penalties
ⓘ A reduction or dismissal at the Commission is a lawful outcome of contesting a proposed penalty. Figures are the proposed amount and the amount upheld in the docket's decision.
Largest penalties this mine contested before the Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission, with the outcome on record.
Docket Decision Judge Year Proposed / upheld
WEVA 2012-1129 Settlement Bulluck 2013 $2K → $2K
WEVA 2011-1445 Settlement Lewis 2012 $2K → $700
WEVA 2011-377 Dismissal Lesnick 2012 $1K → $1K
Source: FMSHRC civil penalty dockets and decisions (public record), updated weekly.

MSHA sampling at Beetree Surface Mine shows 100% of 46 respirable coal dust samples met the 1.5 mg/m3 standard.

Health sampling
ⓘ A sample is a point in time compliance measurement, not an individual exposure history. These figures describe MSHA sampling records and do not establish causation or personal dose.

Respirable coal dust
ⓘ Respirable coal dust and silica figures cover coal facilities. Dust compliance is measured against the current 1.5 mg/m3 standard; samples predating the 2014 standard are included, so compliance rates are a coarse historical signal.

Last sampled: 2019-11-12, 6 years ago
100%
within 1.5 mg/m3
46
samples
0.53
dust max (mg/m3)
0
over MSHA ECV
ⓘ The excessive concentration value (ECV) is MSHA's own per-sample enforcement threshold, which builds in measurement uncertainty; a sample over its ECV can trigger a citation. The count covers only samples MSHA assigned an ECV.
36 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 10 by the operator.
Most-sampled occupations
  • BULLDOZER OPERATOR14
  • HIGHWALL DRILL OPERATOR11
  • REFUSE TRUCK DRIVER/BACKFILL TRUCK DRIVE9

Silica (quartz)

Last sampled: 2019-10-16, 6 years ago
40.7
silica avg (%)
1
samples
40.7
silica max (%)
Most-sampled occupations
  • BULLDOZER OPERATOR1
See US coal mines ranked by silica in their dust samples.

Noise
ⓘ The share counts noise samples whose measured dose exceeded the 90 dBA permissible exposure limit. It describes the sampled workplace, not what reached the miner's ear: hearing conservation programs and the hearing protection worn during the shift are recorded separately and are not reflected here.

Last sampled: 2019-10-09, 6 years ago
0%
over PEL
19
samples
Most-sampled occupations
  • HIGHWALL DRILL OPERATOR6
  • BULLDOZER OPERATOR4
  • REFUSE TRUCK DRIVER/BACKFILL TRUCK DRIVE3
See US mines ranked by noise samples over the legal limit.
Source: MSHA respirable dust, quartz, and noise sampling records, updated weekly.
Health sampling trend
ⓘ A sample is a point in time compliance measurement, not an individual exposure history. These figures describe MSHA sampling records and do not establish causation or personal dose.
Respirable coal dust by year
ⓘ Respirable coal dust and silica figures cover coal facilities. Dust compliance is measured against the current 1.5 mg/m3 standard; samples predating the 2014 standard are included, so compliance rates are a coarse historical signal.
Year within 1.5 mg/m3 samples
2019 100% 11
2018 100% 4
2012 100% 11
2011 100% 10
2010 100% 10
Noise by year
Year over PEL samples
2019 0% 3
2018 0% 2
2012 0% 5
2011 0% 5
2010 0% 4
Source: MSHA respirable dust, quartz, and noise sampling records, updated weekly.

Beetree Surface Mine recorded 0.00 reportable injury cases per 100 full-time workers in 2012.

Injury rate, 2012
ⓘ This rate is reportable injury cases per 100 full-time-equivalent workers per year, computed as 200,000 times cases divided by MSHA operator-reported employee-hours. Cases are injuries MSHA graded degree 01 through 07; accident-only events that hurt no one are excluded, and so are contractor injuries, whose hours do not attach to a single mine. Rates begin in 2000, when quarterly employment reporting starts, and are withheld below 20,000 hours in a year.
0.00
total case rate
0.00
days-away rate
0.000
fatality rate
Below average. The US coal mining average was 3.74 and the all-US-mining average was 2.96 cases per 100 workers.
In West Virginia, coal mining averaged 4.13 cases per 100 workers that year.
Year total case rate days-away fatal
2012 0.00 0.00 0.000
2011 0.00 0.00 0.000
2010 1.24 1.24 0.000
Source: injury cases from MSHA accident and injury records; employee-hours from MSHA quarterly employment reports. Rate is cases per 100 full-time-equivalent workers, operator employees only.
Ownership history
  1. Marfork Coal Company 2006 to present
Source: MSHA controller and operator history, updated weekly.
Workforce and production
ⓘ Coal production is reported quarterly and lags the current period; the most recent quarters may be incomplete.
Year Employees Coal produced (tons)
2020 0
2019 3
2018 3
2017 0
2016 0
2015 0
2014 3
2013 5 10,550
2012 57 245,152
2011 95 624,785
2010 63 503,391
2009 10
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.

Beetree Surface Mine sits in Raleigh County, West Virginia, where the Census mining category is 4.0% of county employment.

Local economic context
ⓘ County figures come from the US Census Bureau's American Community Survey, 5-year pooled estimates, so the 2023 vintage covers 2019 through 2023. The Census category is 'mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction', which is broader than MSHA jurisdiction and includes oil and gas workers no mine employs. These figures describe the surrounding county, not this mine, and are not a factor in any specific incident.
Raleigh County, West Virginia · Population 73,666
4.0%
Mining share of county employment
$52,055
Median household income
Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2023 5-year estimates.
Quarterly safety rates
ⓘ Citations per million reported employee-hours. Rates begin in 2000, when MSHA's quarterly employment data starts; earlier incidents are counted but cannot be rate-adjusted. Quarters under 100,000 reported hours are greyed: too few hours for a stable rate.
Citations per million employee-hours, as reported to MSHA
Quarter Hours worked Citations S&S Per 1M hrs
2020 Q1 0 0 0
2019 Q4 1,381 2 0 1448.2
2019 Q3 440 5 0 11363.6
2019 Q2 1,763 0 0 0.0
2019 Q1 1,960 0 0 0.0
2018 Q4 354 0 0 0.0
2018 Q3 600 2 0 3333.3
2017 Q2 0 0 0
Show 32 earlier quarters
Quarter Hours worked Citations S&S Per 1M hrs
2017 Q1 0 0 0
2016 Q4 0 0 0
2016 Q3 0 0 0
2016 Q2 0 0 0
2016 Q1 0 0 0
2015 Q4 0 0 0
2015 Q3 0 0 0
2015 Q2 0 1 0
2015 Q1 0 0 0
2014 Q4 0 0 0
2014 Q3 1,922 0 0 0.0
2014 Q2 1,993 0 0 0.0
2014 Q1 2,237 0 0 0.0
2013 Q4 2,069 0 0 0.0
2013 Q3 3,375 0 0 0.0
2013 Q2 2,346 0 0 0.0
2013 Q1 3,066 0 0 0.0
2012 Q4 13,040 1 1 76.7
2012 Q3 25,221 2 1 79.3
2012 Q2 40,884 0 0 0.0
2012 Q1 66,276 6 4 90.5
2011 Q4 64,731 0 0 0.0
2011 Q3 65,081 1 1 15.4
2011 Q2 59,866 2 1 33.4
2011 Q1 58,072 2 1 34.4
2010 Q4 45,415 2 1 44.0
2010 Q3 44,572 6 3 134.6
2010 Q2 36,054 1 1 27.7
2010 Q1 35,135 8 2 227.7
2009 Q4 13,205 0 0 0.0
2009 Q3 448 0 0 0.0
2009 Q2 0 0 0
No fatalities recorded at this mine.

Reportable incidents

4 on file

2011 · 3 incidents

November 9, 2011 WV · Coal pumper SLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
Marfork Coal Company · Fall to the walkway or working surface

Employee was walking across the bench area, stepped on a loose rock slipped and fell. Resulting in a hairline fracture of the right fibula

May 12, 2011 WV · Coal haul/off road/coal/ore/pit/quarry/rock/rubber tire truck driver, transportation truck driver POWERED HAULAGE
Marfork Coal Company · Struck against a moving object

Employee was operating a Mack Coal truck when the truck struck a pot hole. The air ride seat lost air causing the employees seat to bottom out, injuring his lower back. The employee was placed off work due to a diagnosis of bulging disk's.

March 22, 2011 WV · Coal laborer, blacksmith, bull gang, parts runner, roustabout, pick-up man, pitman SLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
Marfork Coal Company · Fall to the walkway or working surface

EE was walking across the bench when his foot hit a exposed root, causing him to trip and fall resulting in him twisting his right ankle

2010 · 1 incident

June 9, 2010 WV · Coal electrician, lineman HANDLING OF MATERIALS
Marfork Coal Company · Struck by... (Not Elsewhere Classified)

While cleaning rock off miner and trouble shooting leak. Rock piled up by the miner from what had been cleaned away from pulling out. Member was turned away to leave, when rock slid down from pile against the calf of his right leg and smashed it into another rock.